Grey’s Anatomy 13×22 – Leave It Inside

"The scary thing isn’t dying. The scary thing is surviving and accepting that you actually have a life to live."

It’s amazing how much chemistry Ellen Pompeo has with the rest of the cast. Her dynamic with April, Maggie and Amelia this week was unexpectedly amusing despite my indifference to these three ladies this season. It shocks me to admit this, but I wouldn’t mind pairing Meredith with April more in the future because they were hilarious together in Leave It Inside.

Also impressive is Holly, the patient with the inoperable heart tumor who fell down a set of stairs after having a one-night stand. Her carefree, feisty nature left a truly memorable impression, the kind that does not happen very often with this show’s patients. Of course, her storyline had a devastating conclusion with a nice albeit slightly heavy-handed message about moving on which mirrored Meredith’s own personal struggles. Seeing Meredith get rid of Derek’s large tumor and post-it note might have been upsetting for some, but the episode brilliantly turns those key moments into an empowering character development for our heroine. Plus, they made me hate Nathan a little less, which is certainly a towering achievement. Well done.

Finally, how refreshing is it to see a child survive all the way through the end of an episode? The religious parents with the strict beliefs might not have been the most original subplot this show has come up with, but it still hit all the right emotional beats. It also gave Alex a well-earned, satisfying win after a season full of depressing losses.

Bits & Scalpels

– I laughed out loud when April said “goals” after listening to Holly talk about her love life. Seriously, am I crazy or was April actually delightful for once?

– Even Ben had an unusually intriguing storyline this week. He’s been “playing it safe” ever since he went rogue last year in the elevator while Stephanie has been doing the opposite.

– Priceless moment: the horrified look on April’s face when Holly asks her and Meredith to tell her boyfriend that she died.

– Loved Holly’s take on the different stages the doctors go through every time they see her tumor (quoted below).

– Eliza telling Alex he’d better follow the law because of his “history” felt like such a burn, and I don’t even like Eliza.

– Heartbreaking moment as Liam returns to the hospital and cries that he can’t see anything.

– Raise your hand if you too forgot that DeLuca’s first name is Andrew.

– With that said, watching Jo break his heart was actually tough to watch. Poor fella.

– Still not on board with this Arizona/Eliza pairing.

– Not to nitpick because thank God this storyline is over, but it sure seems like Maggie got over the Mer/Riggs thing quickly.

– Touching moment with Meredith and Nathan holding hands at the end.

Grey Banter

Holly: Yeah, um, you know, it just occurred to me when you do the scan, you might see something weird. And I don’t want you to freak out.
April: Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ve seen everything, Holly. Trust me.
Holly: Uh, well, I’ve got a giant, inoperable heart tumor.
April: Holy…
Holly: And, uh, you know, you can just ignore that. It’s just something I have.

Maggie: “Inoperable” means different things to different surgeons.
Holly: I’ve seen six surgeons. So I know the stages. You guys are in Stage 1. You see it, your eyes light up, you’re the only ones who can tame it. Stage 2: you make a plan, a plan unlike any who have come before you. You get my consent. Stage 3: you realize it doesn’t work and you feel weird and you get all sad, and then you feel you disappointed me and then make it my job to convince you that I’m okay so that you feel better. Can we just skip it?

Meredith: She’s not wrong, he is cute. Maybe you should hit that.
April: You are a dark, dark person.

Holly: This tumor, it’s just-it’s part of me. It’s like my hair or my boobs or my weird-looking toes. I made room for it.

ConclusionAn enjoyable hour with a touching case-of-the-week and a few amusing moments.

Chris RatingB+

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Published by Chris Chedrawi

A computer science graduate hoping to write his own TV show one day, Chris is a regular guest reviewer on Nad's Reviews and is currently covering Will & Grace and The Americans, among other shows.
View all posts by Chris Chedrawi